


Sweat and Blood

by NegativeOpia



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Apprentice Rey (Star Wars), Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Captivity, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Pre-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28906419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NegativeOpia/pseuds/NegativeOpia
Summary: “No.” She shook her head, hands closing into fists where they were pinned above her. “I won’t do it.”“You will.” He stared into her eyes then, at the narrowed creases glaring up at him. She was afraid, yes, but she was something more as well. Her fear drove her to fight, a valuable instinct Kylo couldn’t wait to explore.He caught himself staring at her, shaking out of his trance. Kylo found himself wondering, not for the first time, how and why he was so kriffing fascinated by her.He saw her face shift. The girl’s movements slowed until they stopped, her breaths evening out. Her rage was still there, practically dripping from her stare.“Good,” Kylo said, straightening. His grip loosened on her wrists but didn’t let go.“I’ll never stop fighting you,” she hissed. It was a promise, sealed in sweat and blood.He grinned behind his mask. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”-----Rey is taken by the order. Kylo wants her by his side, and Snoke wants her under his thumb. Rey soon realizes that survival is not a given, and mercy comes at a price. An exploration of the relationship between Rey and Kylo, and their respective pulls to the sides of the force they claim to resist.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Sweat and Blood

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea floating around in my mind for a few months now. I've got some more of this written, but I wont post it unless people are interested in the story, so drop a comment if you want to see more. Enjoy!

It was the perfect storm.

If Rey had any energy left, she would have made some sarcastic comment about how  _ kriffing perfect  _ it had worked out. It would be sarcasm, obviously, though Finn and Poe never really seemed to appreciate her attempts at lightening the mood. 

The Falcon had run out of fuel hours ago, and the closest planet had been far out of reach, forcing them to use the very last of their fuel reserves to get there. The day had been especially exhausting, and Rey had barely enough energy to keep her eyes fixated on the vast space before them, feeling her body lag behind her movements.

But that wasn’t the problem. As soon as the Falcon exited light speed, Rey saw Poe’s fist tighten on the controls. Finn’s gasp was almost comically loud, as was Chewie's groan. And Rey...Rey could do nothing but laugh. Laugh at the absolute irony of it all. Because of course, the First Order was patrolling the one planet they needed to land on. Of course it was Kylo Ren’s cruiser hovering above the planet. And, of course, the Falcon flew right into their sensors.

Rey wasn’t a betting woman, but if she were, she’d take all her cards off the table. Because even with her limited knowledge of the odds, Rey could tell that absolutely no part of this situation was in their favor. 

The laugh died in her throat. 

The blasts came from nowhere, sending the Falcon hurtling towards the planet’s surface. Rey was surprisingly calm as they plummeted thousands of feet, feeling a sensation entirely different than the rush of gravity.

She felt him. Kylo Ren.

She felt him as he watched their ship fall, looking on with a satisfied smirk. And when they were so close to the ground that she could count the mountains, she felt him enter her mind.

And then she felt nothing at all.

***

She looked more peaceful like this. A strange part of Kylo enjoyed the fact that she was covered in dirt and blood, her hair tumbling out of those three faithful buns.

He knew she was in pain. He felt it through the force, for some strange reason. But as her body was deposited on the thick metal slab below him, she looked calm. Collected. A far cry from the feral scavenger he’d met days ago.

The cell was standard, four metal walls and a “bed” that was no more than a table. Kylo tilted his head, running his eyes over her still form. He had shielded her from the worst of the crash with the force, her and those idiots she called friends. 

He inhaled, nudging against the girl’s mind with the force. 

As he did so, a metal latch clicked into place, securing the force suppressing monocles around her wrists. The stormtroopers nodded, stepping around Kylo to place themselves by the door. 

Even in her sleep the girl looked disturbed. The last time he’d seen her, she was standing over his bloodied form after tearing the skin of his face and chest in a blaze of heat. She had been so glorious in that moment, so fierce and strong. He had never seen anything like it; pure, unshaped potential. And something else, something even more intriguing.

Darkness, in its truest form. He saw it slipping through the cracks of her light when she channeled the force against him. He felt the sting of the dark in her wrath, something equally awe-inspiring as it was terrifying. From that moment on, Kylo knew he needed to possess her.

He would train her. Make her his, no matter the cost.

Moments later, she jolted awake.

Her eyes flew around the room wildly, bloodied fingers gripping the edge of the metal slab. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath. Finally, panicked eyes found him. The girl’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“You.” Her expression shifted. He detected anger. Fear.  _ Oh, how easily she could cradle the dark. _

Kylo dipped his masked head, as close to a nod as he’d provide. “Scavenger.”

She released a shuddered breath. “What happened?”

It took most of Kylo Ren’s restraint to remain collected. As much as she intrigued him, she made him furious as well. He hated her for being so gracefully powerful. He hated her for piquing his master’s interest. He hated her for marking him, for making him look weak.  _ You  _ are _ weak _ . “You crashed.”

The girl looked down at herself, taking inventory of the cuts and bruises, of the dirt and mud that caked her skin. She looked back up at him, eyes flicking to the stormtroopers behind him.

“We found you in the wreckage,” Kylo continued. He watched the emotion painted across her face, the worry. Worry for her friends.

_ I can fix that. _

“There were no other survivors.”

The girl’s face dropped, the air sucked straight from her lungs. “No,” she whispered. 

The hope was dying at his fingertips. The darkness consumed her so easily, it was effortless. She had no idea how beautiful her rage was, how much that rage would propel her exactly where he wanted her to go. 

He could almost smile. “Yes.”

Kylo felt it then. Or, rather, felt the absence of the force as the girl tried desperately to channel something. Anything. Her face twisted in concentration. Despite being cut off from the force, he could feel her agony, how desperately she wanted to choke the life out of him. 

_ Good, _ he thought to himself.

“Whatever you’re trying to do to me, it won’t work,” Kylo said, almost with a disappointed sigh. The girl tensed even harder, curling in on herself. “The monocles on your wrists prevent you from manipulating the force. You have no power here.”

She shook her head fervently, denial coursing through her. With a glance at her wrists, she shifted, raising her arms and hurtling them down along the edge of the metal slab.

“Stop.” Kylo took a step forward. The girl stayed focused on her wrists, once again slamming the metal of her bindings to the metal of the bed. Over and over. Kylo motioned to the troopers behind him with a disappointed huff, stepping aside.

“Stop her,” he ordered. The troopers surged forward, grabbing the girl by her arms. She yelped, thrashing at their efforts to contain her. She slammed her foot down on the trooper, retching her arm from his grasp and elbowing him in the head. The trooper stumbled away, allowing for her to shove the second man away, landing a kick at the center of his chest. She turned, running until she slammed into a wall of solid muscle. 

Arms grasped her biceps, slamming her against the cell wall. Her back screamed at the contact.

“I said  _ stop _ ,” Kylo hissed. She ducked under his grasp, kneeing him in the stomach. Kylo grunted before catching her around the waist, throwing her face first to the ground. He grabbed her hands, securing them behind her back as he kneeled over her, pressing her wrists into her back with his knee. She hissed in pain.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice was ice against the back of her neck, her cheek burning against the metal of the floor. “But I will.”

She tried to rip her wrists from his grasp. “What do you want from me?”

Kylo tightened his hold on her wrists, pressing her chest even further into the floor. 

“To train you.”

The girl’s movements stilled. “No,” she said.

He grasped her shoulder, flipping her onto her back. She swung at him before he could even think to dodge it, landing a blow at the flesh of his neck, just beneath his helmet. He acted on instinct, slapping her across the face with a gloved hand before shoving her back down. Kylo’s lips curled up in a sneer behind his mask. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in the matter.”

If she had been thrown off by his blow, she didn’t show it. “I’d rather die than fall to the dark.”

“You’re lying,” Kylo whispered. He leaned closer, his mechanical breaths loud and heavy in the cool air of her cell. “I know it calls to you. I can feel it in you now: the rage, the anger, the passion.” He felt an emotion close to jealousy pass through his mind, at how easily it came to her. At how ungrateful she was. “There’s a reason Skywalker refused to train you. There’s a reason he sees so much of me in you that it hurts him.”

“No.” She shook her head, hands closing into fists where they were pinned above her. “I won’t do it.”

“You will.” He stared into her eyes then, at the narrowed creases glaring up at him. She was afraid, yes, but she was something more as well. Her fear drove her to fight, a valuable instinct Kylo couldn’t wait to uncover.

He caught himself staring at her, shaking out of his trance. He found himself wondering, not for the first time, how and why he was so kriffing fascinated by her.

He saw her face shift, exhaustion finally clouding her senses. The girl’s movements slowed until they stopped, her breaths evening out. Her rage was still there, practically dripping from her stare. 

“Good,” Kylo said, straightening. His grip loosened on her wrists but didn’t let go. 

“I’ll never stop fighting you,” Rey hissed. It was a promise, sealed in sweat and blood.

He grinned behind his mask. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”


	2. Men and Monsters

Rey had been alone for hours. She cherished it, truly, over being anywhere near Kylo Ren. His very presence sent an ache through her mind and body, a misplaced guilt that Rey couldn’t even begin to place. Perhaps it was the memory of his face so close to hers, or the look in his eyes when she'd stuck him down. He seemed so different then, less monster and more man.

But thoughts like those were dangerous to entertain, and Rey had to force the image from her mind. This was no place for empathy or guilt.

So when he stalked into her cell moments later, Rey shot to her feet.

“Get changed,” Kylo said, tossing a heap of black clothes at her. She dodged it, glaring up at him instead.

“No.” Rey would refuse him as long as she could. Underneath his mask, Rey could swear he rolled his eyes before gesturing for the Stormtroopers to enter. They flanked him, awaiting instructions. His mask stared down at her, unchanging, unforgiving.

“Strip her.”

“No!” She dodged the hands that grabbed for her, but only lasted a few moments against their strength and without her force.. 

“Change her clothes, but don’t take off the binders until she cooperates.” His tone was flat. Rey struggled in their grasp as she felt them removing the fabric at her arms and the belt from her waist. Unable to do anything else, she spit at Kylo’s feet. He stood there and watched the fighting girl grapple with the Stormstroopers, who quickly gave up getting her shirt off of her body without ripping it. 

“This can end if you cooperate,” Kylo drawled. Rey was in her breast band and leggings now, feeling the fear climb up her body at the prospect of them forcibly tearing her pants. She felt a hand graze against the waistband of her leggings and froze.

“Okay,” she hissed, shrugging away from the hands. “Okay,” she said again. The room grew quiet. Kylo's mask tilted with an air of interest, allowing the silence to settle; letting Rey wonder whether or not he would show mercy. With the smallest flick of his finger, the binders unlocked, falling to the floor unceremoniously. Rey glared at him, flexing her fingers to feel the force once again. It was weak at best.  
  
Rey changed as quickly as possible under the gaze of the three people, humiliated beyond belief. When she was done, she was dressed in black sweatpants and a black tank top, her freezing feet covered with a pair of pristinely white socks. She hesitantly allowed the Stormtrooper to place the binders back on her wrists before they left, leaving Kylo where he had stood for the past excruciating minutes. 

“Why are you doing this?” She spoke so quietly she barely heard herself. 

“Time to go.” His tone was flat. Rey sighed, forcing her bound hands into a tight fist.

“Where are we going?” She knew it was pointless to ask, but her curiosity was all she had left. It was the same curiosity that urged her into star destroyers at the age of six, the same curiosity that first piqued her interest in a large metal rod that could make for a nice staff one day.

Kylo turned around swiftly, leaving the confines of her cell. Rey glanced behind her back before she did the same, anxious to leave the suffocating cell.

“We have been summoned.” He didn’t look back at her as he charged forward, causing her to trip over her feet as she was forced to follow. The hallway was a gradient black, the luminescent lights reflecting off of the pitch dark metal of the wall. Droids rushed past her, beeping in binary as they regarded her with interest. Rey almost responded back. Instead, she forced herself forward, tight on Kylo Ren’s heels.

“Summoned?” She repeated, glancing at the stormtroopers who bowed their heads as they passed.

Not they, he. As _he_ passed. _You’re nothing here,_ the voice inside her said _. Until you join him, you’re a shadow. A prisoner._

She straightened. _I’d rather be a prisoner than a monster._

Kylo’s steps faltered ever so slightly at her mental resolve. It was subtle, but to Rey, it was more telling than anything.

 _Get out of my head._ She tested the waters, glaring at the back of his helmet. The fist next to his saber tightened.

 _I’m not in your head. You’re projecting._ He spoke as if talking to a petulant child. Rey wanted to argue, to say that she was doing no such thing. But she didn’t know enough about the force to fight him on that. She kept her mouth shut, gaze flying to the ground.

Hearing her acquiescence, Rey swore she heard Kylo chuckle. “So you admit it.”

She was so used to his voice in her head that she almost didn’t realize that he had spoken aloud. “Admit what?”

“You admit that you need a teacher in the force,” he said, voice merely a low rumble as the heavy footsteps of stormtroopers rang out. She hoped he could feel her glare.

“Of course I need a teacher,” she bit out. “I just don’t want it to be you”

Kylo scoffed. “Spoken like a child.”

“I am not a child.” 

“Then grow up.” Kylo’s hands flexed at his sides, wishing for the weight of his lightsaber and tapering at the edge of control. “Stop putting your blind faith into people who don’t deserve it”

Rey’s brows shot up. “And you think you do?”

She hadn’t realized she had stopped moving until Kylo was ahead of her, slowing to a stop. He inclined his head to look at her over his shoulder.

“You think you deserve my faith?” She continued. “My loyalty?”

“I’m saying,” Kylo turned around, stalking slowly towards her. His mask was indifferent, yet his voice was a depth of emotion. “Your enemies are plentiful, and your allies are few.”

His tone was different now, a hint of suggestion behind his words. Rey couldn’t stop the bitter scoff from tumbling out of her lips, shaking her head in disbelief. When she looked up at him, his mask was tilted to the side. The mask hid every last emotion. Every last feeling. She hated it.

“Is that what you are?” She finally asked, realizing she was staring a bit too long. “My ally?”

“If you insist on antagonizing everyone you meet, you’ll die before you can even think to escape to your precious resistance.”

She took a step toward him. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning, Rey.” He approached her, too, until he had to bend at the neck to look into her eyes. Her furious, vengeful eyes. But there was something behind those eyes, something that had ensnared him ever since she first landed in his grasp. He knew he should want to snuff it out, to suffocate the hope from her eyes until all that was left was a shell of compliance, of dark will. 

But it was that same hope that drew him in so, that made the fire inside her burn so bright. And in that moment, Kylo couldn’t imagine her eyes without it. Without the light. “I know you don’t want to die.”

Rey narrowed her eyes. “Nobody wants to die.”

Kylo stepped forward until he was impossibly close. Against her will, she backed away, suddenly overcome by the instincts engrained in her as a child to run when cornered, to only fight when she knew she could win. He backed her up until her shoulder blades hit the steel wall.

“Then survive,” he whispered, so quietly it could’ve been a prayer. “Here, with me.” His hand rose, and Rey flinched as if he were about to strike her. Instead, she felt the strange texture of leather tracing her cheekbone. His gloved fingers hovered along her freckles, until his hand trailed down her jaw to her neck. He grasped it lightly, just enough for her air to constrict until the edges of her vision turned blurry. She raised her chin, watching as Kylo’s head tilted in interest rather than malice. Rey tried to flinch away from his touch, but his grip was firm. “Before they destroy you.”

She closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. Her hands were at his wrist, attempting to pry his hand away. “If anyone is going to destroy me, it’s you,” she whispered, unable to manage much more than that.

To prove her point, she drew in a shaky breath, coughing despite her efforts to remain strong. That seemed to snap him from his daze, ripping his hand away as if her very skin burned him. Rey hadn’t realized that his grip on her neck was the only reason she managed to remain standing. She tumbled to the ground immediately, coughing as her hand massaged her throat. After a few moments, she looked up at him.

“You’re right.” His voice was indifferent. He backed away from her, starting down the hall once more. “Let’s go” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comment and kudos if you enjoyed!


	3. Not Afraid

By the time they arrived at the chamber, Rey had a fully flushed out escape plan in her head. Of course, she would never be able to execute it, but the mere presence of it in the back of her mind was a comfort she could not ignore. 

“Keep your head down,” Kylo said, placing his hand on the black stone door. “Speak when spoken to and for kriffs sake,” he turned to her, “don’t do anything stupid.”

Rey glared at him.

“I’m not afraid of him.” It was a lie, and she knew Kylo could sense that in her. But maybe a small part of her was right, and maybe that could be enough.

“You should be.” With that, he pushed open the door. He grasped her elbow, pulling her along. She considered dragging her feet, of throwing caution to the wind and taking the chance to try and escape now. Before she could even think to decide, she was pushed forward and faced with an empty chamber. Rey furrowed her brows.

It was an intimidating room, fitted with a throne the size of a giant. But it was dark and empty, and so quiet that Rey could hear the sound of her own shuddered breaths. When she turned to question Kylo, the man was on one knee, his head bowed. For a moment, it seemed as if he bowed to her.

“What is this?” She asked, her voice echoing throughout the chamber.

“Be patient,” Kylo replied, head still tilted to the ground. Rey glanced behind her. 

“Why am I here, Kylo?”

His elbow rested against his bent knee. “You are to be judged before my master.”

She took a step forward. “But why am I here?”

He looked up at her. “I am following orders.”

Rey shook her head ever so slightly, crouching down before him. He wasn’t just following orders. She didn’t know how she knew, she just…did. Perhaps it was the strange connection formed between them all those weeks ago, the same connection that tuned her into his occasional thoughts and feelings. Perhaps it was something else, but whatever it was drove her to say, “You’re lying.”

And he reared back, a surge of anger pulsing through them both. Behind his mask, he opened his mouth to say something, but the words died on his tongue.

“Is that so, little one?”

The voice came from all around them. It was low, gravely, like dragging a stick through rubble. Rey inhaled sharply, whirling around and rising to her feet. The man, if one could even call him that, was terrifying.

“You sense something in my apprentice?” His cracked face smiled, his giant head looming over them. Rey took an involuntary step back. “Interesting.”

The creature looked over at Kylo Ren before returning his scrutinizing stare to Rey. 

“So this is the girl who tore my apprentice in two; who marked him body and soul,” he said, shaking his head. “I expected you to be bigger.”

Rey swallowed, lifting her chin. “Disappointed?”

“Not in the slightest.” He leaned back, stroking his cracked chin with a skeleton-like finger. “It is the biggest advantage to be underestimated by ones opponent. It seems my own apprentice fell victim to your deception.” His gaze flicked to the bowed Kylo Ren. “That will be amended.”

Rey glanced at the man, who remained still under his master’s thinly veiled threat.

“I’m more interested in you,” Snoke continued. Rey felt her hands begin to shake, balling them into fists at her sides.

“I’m no one special.”

“Oh, how wrong you are.” He stood, and grew impossibly larger. Rey began to feel it then; or maybe she had felt it before, but refused to believe it. An invasion in her mind; a skeletal hand reaching in, browsing, taking. It felt, at its very core, wrong. 

Rey squeezed her eyes shut, flinching at the phantom touch.

“I see it,” he grumbled. “The dark. I barely have to try, it’s so strong within you.”

The creature’s eyes fluttered shut. A particularly sharp stab in her brain caused her double over in pain, and Rey felt as if her mind was being slowly ripped apart. Excruciatingly slowly, Snoke peeled away the layers of her mind, inspecting every last inch. The violation was painful and Rey felt the shards of his mind embed in hers. Snoke made a sound as close to laughter as Rey could think to hear from the creature. “How you survived so long in the light is a mystery. The things you could do with all of this power…” he trailed off, eyes opening suddenly. Rey slowly lifted her head, and from her place on the ground, he seemed infinitely taller. “It’s beautiful.”

With that, he dug in deeper. She couldn’t help herself from crying out in pain, grasping the steel floor as she tried to anchor herself to something- anything- real. She saw flashes in her mind, flashes of things she’d never seen before. But they were there, deep in her mind, images of fire and slaughtered bodies; of destruction and blinding pain. Her joints screamed for relief, and soon the images became familiar. 

She felt another presence, too, and perhaps a word spoken in the world of the waking. But none of that mattered, not while her pain continued to dive deeper in on herself. Han, Leia, Luke-awkward fumblings with a green lightsaber, tightened in robes that were far too small- a hot sting on her left cheek followed by the grinning face of Unkar Plutt, of the older scavengers who followed her home to steal her portions: the ones who failed, and the ones who succeeded. 

The ones who hated her enough to hit her, who envied her enough to steal from her.

Her breathing came fast, her eyes shut so tight she thought her eyelids were close to ripping. She wanted Finn, Leia, Poe, Chewy.

Home. She wanted home.

But they were dead, and she wasn’t. They weren’t here, but she was. And so was Kylo Ren, the one who took everything from her.

_ It’s all your fault _ , she didn’t prompt her voice in her head to say it, to reach across the force and implant the words in his head. But once she started, she couldn’t stop. _ All of my pain comes from you.  _

The edges of her mind turned dark, black waves inching higher on a pristinely white beach.

_ I hate you. You ruined everything _ , she thought. Han’s limp limbs as he fell, Finn’s back, charred and bloody.

As the darkness took over, she finally found the strength to open her eyes. Kylo Ren was exactly where he was supposed to be, bowed in submission, watching as she suffered. She narrowed her eyes.

_ You ruined me, _ she thought. Her weak knees finally collapsed, and her body hit the ground in a heap of exhaustion. She exhaled slowly, allowing herself to get carried away by the sweet release of unconsciousness. Two words entered her mind before everything went black.

_ I know. _

_***_

“You felt her pain?”

“No, master.”

Snoke slumped back into his throne, his face passive. Blank.

“That is the second time you’ve lied today, Kylo Ren.”

He couldn’t stop himself from looking at the girl. Even in sleep, her face looked disturbed. Her brows were furrowed in phantom pain, and Kylo felt a sudden urge to bear it for her. It was almost an impulse, the way he reached out to her, embedded his mind in hers to shoulder the burden. He knew it was wrong, that his master would surely find out and punish him, but at the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I felt it. I…saw it. I think.” Kylo said after a moment. “I felt her pain as if it were mine.”

Snoke was silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

“Interesting.” Was all he said. Finally, Kylo tore his stare from the girl, turning his face up to his master.

“What does it mean?” The girl, her pain that shifted into his, as if they were connected at their very core.

“Nothing for now. You have more important things to worry about.” He rose once more, approaching the steps of the dais where the girl lay unconscious near Kylo. “You were right to bring me the girl. The potential I see in her rivals only you.”

He narrowed his eyes, his head tilting in interest. “Which is…something different”

Kylo had to force his eyes from her body with considerable effort. “What does it mean?”

At first, Kylo wasn’t sure Snoke would reply. He sat for a moment, his thin fingers working away at the armrest of his throne. He was deep in thought, it seemed, or he was party to something in the force that Kylo had no hope to understand. 

“It means you will train her,” Snoke finally said. “Be her master, bend her to your will and the dark side.”

Kylo almost scoffed at the mere thought of bending Rey’s will against her wishes. “She is stubborn, Master. She steers herself blindly towards the light”

“And you will carry her to the dark, and use whatever means you must to do it,” Snoke snapped, uncompromising. The creature leaned back in his chair nonchalantly. “I’ll help, of course. A few more sessions with me and the girl will bleed darkness.”

Memories flashed through Kylo’s mind. Memories of blinding pain followed by endless rage, a stabbing sensation probing at his mind, stripping him bare of everything that was once his. He glanced at Rey again. For some reason, the thought put a sour taste in Kylo’s mouth. 

“Once she is trained, she will face her true test.” Snoke turned his hungry gaze to the unconscious girl. 

“Which is?”

“I’ve grown quite interested in her. If she progresses as well as I am predicting, she will take your place as my apprentice”

Kylo rose to his feet, his fists clenching at his sides. “Master-“

“Don’t you fret, Kylo Ren.” Snoke waved a dismissive hand in Kylo’s direction. “We are not sith, there need not be a rule of two. You will be her master, until there is nothing left for you to teach her. Then I will be master to you both. Whoever excels further will be up to the two of you.”

So Snoke indeed meant to replace him. He saw a power that didn’t belong to him, and worked quickly to amend it. Kylo narrowed his eyes, the gears already turning in his mind. “And if she cannot be turned?”

“She is too powerful to be spared.” Snokes narrowed eyes seemed even more menacing split with a crack down his skull. “You have two weeks, Kylo Ren, to submit her to your will. If she has not succumbed to the dark, you will kill her. Understood?”

Kylo straightened, willing his doubts to burrow somewhere far away where Snoke would never be able to find them. Instantly, he felt the darkness seep back in, a prickling sensation building at the nape of his neck.

“Yes, Master.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, let me know!


	4. Knights

Kylo carried her back to her cell.

A few eyes trailed him curiously. Stormtroopers, of course, oblivious that the mask didn’t hide their gaze. Not when they were trained on him, and especially not when they were trained on her.

She was a familiar weight in his arms. Far too light, he made a note to increase the amount of meat in her meals. She was strong where she needed to be, though, his fingers pressing down on taught muscle where his hands cradled her legs and back. They were muscles forged through necessity, through suffering. 

As Kylo entered her cell, he felt her begin to stir. He quickly dispensed her on the metal slab, backing away too quickly to be composed. Because a small part of him was relieved she was waking up at all, and an even smaller part of him was terrified of the damage that had already been done.

_ Why are you terrified? You wanted this.  _

She opened her eyes with a gasp, her chest rising and falling against the metal. He saw Rey take a deep breath before her hands clamped down on the metal. It wasn’t until she slowly sat up that she seemed to notice him in her cell. Her eyes found him slowly.

Neither of them spoke, much to Kylo’s dismay. Her force seemed...different. Disturbed. Not as light as he was used to. His heart jumped in excitement.

“You’re awake,” he decided to say. Rey didn’t move. Just...stared.

“What happened.”

Her voice caught him off guard. It was toneless, and even her light accent seemed faded at the edges, replaced with something he didn’t recognize.

“You met my master,” Kylo said, taking a step towards her. “I am to train you, just as I told you before.”

She didn’t flinch like he expected her to. She didn’t bare her teeth and curse his soul. She simply stared. 

“Train me,” she repeated, turning the words over in her mouth as if she were trying to memorize the feel of it, the meaning of it. As if she didn't quite understand.  


Kylo grew impatient. He secured his hands around his helmet, pressing down on the release. He let his mask fall to his side, meeting her eyes, hoping it would stir up something in her. Anything.

And perhaps it worked.

Rey’s eyes grew round, the heat returning to her glare as she shot to her feet. “No.”

He hadn’t realized that was what he’d been waiting for until she surged toward him, until he felt the excitement rise in his stomach. “Yes,” he hissed.

She was back. 

Stormtroopers entered the room, two of them that flanked either side of him. Rey stared at them, her eyes jumping between them. 

One stormtrooper broke off, approaching her with caution as he extended the metal cuffs. Rey narrowed her eyes. “I won’t do it, Kylo. I’ll resist you.”

“You can certainly try,” he replied. 

The cuffs were secured around her wrist, and Rey shot him a glare.

He led the way out of her cell and she struggled as they pulled her along through the halls. They were relatively empty, a pristine black and silver, floors so shiny she could spot her freckles in her reflection.

“If you don’t submit to my training this will be very painful for you,” Kylo called back to her as they walked. Her eyes were scanning the halls around them, searching for any kind of escape route.

They stopped at a door, and Rey was released. Kylo pushed it open, revealing a massive training room. There were weights and weapons lining the walls, surrounding a huge red and black mat that spanned almost half of the arena-sized floor. Her lips parted in awe, eyes jumping between the hundreds of weapons on display.

“I will not surrender to the dark side,” she finally responded. The binders disengaged, and before Rey could feel the freedom of the force once more, Kylo yanked her hands behind her back, tying a rope around her wrists in a tight knot

“I’m afraid you won't have a choice,” he whispered against the back of her head, his breath catching between the loose hair trailing down her neck. “Your training starts now.”

At his words, Rey heard footsteps ring throughout the room. From the door across from her, six figures clad in all black strode into the arena, faces covered in masks not unlike Kylo Ren’s. She felt their stares through the masks, each one sporting a different force signature. They marched to the wall, each picking out a weapon. When they turned to face where she and Kylo stood, her breath picked up, the nerves in her stomach beginning to rise.

“Will you submit?” Kylo asked. Rey took a deep breath, knowing she’ll regret her stubbornness. The six men stared at her with intensity from where they gathered their weapons, and Rey had to inhale a deep breath just to force the words out of her mouth.

“No,” she breathed. She felt the excitement spike in the men before her, adrenaline making way through their blood.

“Then this is going to hurt.”

Rey flinched as Kylo reached around her head, wrapping a black cloth around her eyes. He secured it with a knot behind her head, tugging on it once for good measure. Her panic rose within her; she was blind, completely blind.

He grabbed her arm, pulling her until they both stood at what she assumed was the center of the mat. He stood behind her, grasping her by her upper arms.

“Rey, meet the Knights of Ren,” he said, his voice echoing through the room. She heard shuffling, feeling the force signatures grow as they moved closer. To her relief, it seemed only three of them were approaching. She tipped her head to the side, imagining the room in her mind, feeling where the Knights were standing. Three men mounted the mat, placing themselves around her in a triangle formation. 

“Free yourself before they beat you to death,” Kylo said from behind her. He released her arms, retreating from the mat and placing himself back near the doorway. She barely had time to process his words before he was across the room.

“What?”

“Go.”

She felt the men through the force as their weight shifted from one foot to the other. It was too late to do anything but fight; they were advancing. They were all bigger than her and stronger, but she was quicker. The man directly behind her was the slowest, she could already tell by the weapon he chose. It was big and sharp, unbalanced to add weight to the swing. This also meant he was the strongest but she’d deal with that later-

She dodged a punch to the head, dropping to the ground at the last minute. Gathering all the force she could, she perched herself on her elbow, swinging her legs to knock him to the ground. He fell forward on his face and Rey was moving before he could blink, catching a kick in the ribs that sent her closer to the knight on the ground. She rolled on top of him and waited for the slow one to strike. He wound up, sending his heavy weapon down with a grunt. Rey slid off of the knight, listening as the slow knight brought his weapon down on his own man. She flinched, hearing a sickening crunch where he was hit in the shoulder. She shook it off, rolling to her feet. One down.

She craned her head, noticing that the third man seemed skinnier. He was carrying an axe in his hand. She needed to cut her binds, to get that axe away from him for just a minute. She tried to call the axe to her hand with the force, but the man resisted it. The Knights were force sensitive, after all, every step in this fight was being manipulated by the force. In her distraction, she missed the stronger man come up behind her, seizing her by the waist and slamming her to the ground. She felt a pop in her wrist and cried out in pain, but that didn’t stop the assault. The slow one brought down his leg to her stomach, flipping her on her back. He reared back for another strike but Rey rolled away, rising to her feet and launching herself at the skinny one. He swung three times, each one she dodged before the edge of the axe scraped her neck, drawing blood from just below her chin. She sent a kick to his midsection and felt her foot brush against something cool and firm: a blade.

She immediately reoriented her attack, ducking under the slow man’s kick and launching herself at the skinny one’s midsection. She let him swing at her as she eased the knife down his leg with the force. She was hit with two punches in the process, carefully slipping the knife out the bottom of his pant leg. She turned around, sliding between the slow one’s stance to knee him between the legs before calling the knife to her hand. It sliced the skinny ones thigh and ripped through the slow one’s leg on the way to her palm and they both called out in pain. One more to go. Rey sliced away at her ropes, freeing her hands and reaching for the blindfold-

“Stop!” Kylo yelled. Rey froze, fingers playing at the tie of her blindfold. She was gasping for air, feeling the pain in her wrist and the blood drip down her collarbone. She couldn't see, but she felt the tension in the room. The one man remaining stood up, facing their leader.

“You can remove the blindfold once you’ve taken down each man. Finish him off.” Kylo’s voice was regal, and his words were absolute. She wanted to scream, to say that she was tired of this stupid fight, but the man was already advancing. Rey was now armed with a knife, hands free, blindfold on. She sensed his intentions through his movements, and she mirrored his advances with her retreat. Rey flexed her hands, craning her head, waiting for him to swing. One he did, she was able to determine the speed of his attack. She dodged it, and a second one tuned her into the distance between her and his torso. The third swing she didn’t duck, hands catching the handle of the axe mid swing. 

Rey felt the force rush into her veins, ripping the axe from his hand and clutching it in her fists. She threw him back, pinning him to the floor with the force. She felt his attempts to fight back, but her power was far greater than his; a straw pushing against a boulder. Nothing. She dropped down above him, laying the edge of the axe against his throat, waiting for Kylo to call it. She felt the knight tremble beneath her, and felt as he turned his head to stare at his master, waiting for him to grant him mercy. Rey dug the blade deeper into his neck, hearing the skin rip apart. 

She told herself it was payback for cutting her neck-- _no, not payback,_ it was self preservation. She had to do it. She didn’t enjoy fighting like this; didn’t feel the sensation of using her power against someone far weaker than herself. She definitely didn’t feel her body ache with adrenaline and pride, the sensation that she’d just taken down three Knights of Ren with her hands tied behind her back. And she definitely didn’t want to dig the axe into this man’s throat just because she had the power to do so, and a captivated audience to entertain. But he was the enemy, right? Rey didn’t need to save her morals for his soul. She dug in deeper, and the man screamed below her.   
_I will not let them underestimate me._

“Stop.” Kylo called again. As much as it pained her, Rey did as he said, crawling off of the man and tossing the axe to the side. She reached up to her blindfold and found herself hesitating.  _ I don’t want to see the destruction I just caused. I don’t want to see their faces as they look upon a monster.  _ “Take the blindfold off, Rey.” Kylo’s voice was close now, speaking directly behind her.

She slowly untied the cloth, letting it slip from her eyes. She blinked in the light of the room, eyes immediately drawn to the blood spilled all over the mat. She looked over at the three knights who didn’t fight, feeling their gaze behind their masks. They were all staring at her. Rey looked at Kylo, who was already staring at her with a strange look in his eyes. She held his gaze as she wiped the blood from her neck

“Knights, you are dismissed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Do I need another WIP? No. Am I posting this anyway? Yes.
> 
> Comment/kudos to see more :)


End file.
